Help w/ badly Damaged Guild acoustic

davismanLV · May 16, 2023

adorshki said:
I will never forget the guy who insisted the arched back on his F65ce was solid, not laminated, because the grain matched on the inside and outside, even after we explained to him that Guild oriented the laminated sheets that way on purpose.

Whatever happened to him?

After we set him straight on that point, he died of a broken heart, I think. Maybe.

adorshki · May 16, 2023

davismanLV said:
After we set him straight on that point, he died of a broken heart, I think. Maybe.

I think maybe I can see that as a possibility except I think it would have been "cognitive dissonance", the state that results when things don't work the way you expect them too.

It's almost nailed me, a few times now.

GAD · May 16, 2023

GGJaguar said:
<start grumpy old man rant> Of course drive by posts are to be expected, but they could at least say "Thank you" before moving on. <end grumpy old man rant>

Maybe people who post infrequently don’t feel like posting again when a pile of people complain that they’re not posting properly.

jeffcoop · May 16, 2023

My OM-120 was made in Rhode Island! It says "Westerly"!

adorshki · May 16, 2023

jeffcoop said:
My OM-120 was made in Rhode Island! It says "Westerly"!

First word? Congrats!

Default · May 16, 2023

It was his baby and his channel to the muse. I'm not being sarcastic. The thing is that it was priced for a working musician, and as close to disposable as modern manufacturing could make it. You have luthiers that won't do neck resets on vintage Guilds. So, now you have a broken neck and a top to do, plus refinish with poly. I can't see anyone bidding on that job unless they want to bleed the op dry.

Unfortunately, until he gets some royalties coming in, it's going to have to rest in the case. Iirc, he posted on the Guild FB group and got an almost identical set of advice.

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

geoguy said:
Welcome to LTG, and sorry to hear about this mishap.

If that happened to me, I think I would simply buy a new guitar. That looks like a serious repair.

One of those instruments is currently for sale on Reverb, although that seller says "local pickup only". Maybe he could be persuaded to ship it? Or another will turn up for sale eventually. Those early GAD models were an excellent value, and I can understand why you like it.

Thanks so much for your response and kind words, and the idea. This past week was a bit crazy, so I am just now having a chance to see these comments. I am very grateful for this community and all the input and generous words / ideas. I am still assessing my next steps, and I reached out to Cordoba / Guild as well, just in case... Thanks again. -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

awagner said:
Sorry to hear about this. We all make mistakes.

You could try to find a replacement neck. I don't think it is possible to repair it, at least not for less than what the guitar is worth.

If you don't have insurance, then your other option is to buy a replacement.

If you can't find a used one, then the closest equivalent is the F-250CE, I believe.

Guild F-250CE Deluxe Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Antique Burst

6-string Acoustic-electric Guitar with Solid Spruce Top, Maple Back and Sides, Mahogany Neck, and Pau Ferro Fingerboard - Antique Burst

www.sweetwater.com

But if you can afford it, I would suggest upgrading, maybe to an American-made Guild. It will take the sting out of this experience.

Perhaps a R47-MCE

Guild F47mce - Westerly Guild Guitars

Or a F65CE

GUILD F65CE Acoustic Electric 1998 Westerly R.I. Top Of The Line Model *I'm Taking Offers* | Reverb

Guild F65CE 1998 Guild F65ce acoustic electric guitar in good condition. Spruce top, flame maple back and sides, arch back. Comes with the OHSC, some minor dings, scratches. There are several black marks on the rear head stock that appear to be from a capo left on over time. This guitar will ship...

reverb.com

Wow, thanks so much for your kind reply and suggestions... and I know, it's a mess. Regarding your comment on the upgrade to American-made Guild, that is a good idea. How much difference is there between the Chinese-made onese (like mine) with regard to sound / tone, etc.? If I go the new guitar route, I think I might want to go with a new guitar that has more depth / warmth in the bass...

Thanks again for your input here. -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

twocorgis said:
Wow, so sorry to see this, and welcome to LTG. I'm not at all the A) it's repairable, and B) whether it's even cost effective to do so. Clean headstock breaks are a fairly easy repair, but that is a very complex looking one. @Fixit in FL might be able to give you a better opinion, but I'm not hopeful.

Jacobs Custom Guitars – Custom Guitars & Guitar Repair

www.jacobscustomguitars.com

You might want to look into getting another guitar. The Westerly Series OM240E is a great guitar, and can be had used for $400 or less. I'd imagine that the repair on this guitar would be at least this, and likely a lot more.

Thanks so much for your reply and the idea for the OM240E... i need to check into it. Yeah I spoke w/ a few luthiers and sounds pricey to fully repair. Might got the route to just get it looking OK and retire it on my wall. Thanks for the link here too, will check on their repair thoughts as well. Thank you again.

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

Rad said:
No expert here, just been around guitars for 50+ years. I suspect you could come close to buying two replacements for the cost of that repair.

And, I’m very sorry for the damage to your guitar.

In the future you will be able to top everybody’s, “ I did this damage to my guitar” story and as crazy as it sounds you will be able to laugh about it when you tell the story. We have all been there, be guitars, motorcycles, etc…We all do dumb things.

Best of luck getting it fixed or finding a replacement.

Many thanks for the kind and supportive words, Rad. I do appreciate it and hope I can do that down the road.. Definitely still a shock. Thank you again and yes, I am eyeing some new guitars and getting some final opinions on repair vs. art/commemorate route. Thank you again. -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

AcornHouse said:
Any guitar can be repaired, no matter how bad the damage (short of burning). The question is, how much will it cost. While I understand how much your guitar means to you, as others have mentioned, the repair costs for this damage is not going to be cheap, and could easily cost double or triple what you paid for the guitar originally.
one thought is to see if you could find another severely damaged guitar, where the damage is confined to the body. It doesn’t have to be the same model (although probably best to at least make it a Guild). Then instead of piecing together a lot of little bits, the neck, or a large part of it, could be used in place of the damaged parts.
There will still be a cost for the donor guitar and the labor, but it might (might!) be cheaper than a replacement. That will depend on what need to be done and who’s doing the work. It also won’t be cheap, and may still exceed the cost of a replacement, but it will certainly be better than repairing what’s there.

You’ll have to endure a stream of “why not replace it with this model instead” replies as everyone offers up their favorite. The silver lining is that there are plenty to choose from, but new and used. Used will offer the bigger bang for the buck, of course, and you may be able to find your exact model, given a little time to look.
But if this is your only guitar, you may want to try whatever fits your budget and is available quicker.

As wrenching as it is, I do feel that replacement is a better way to go in the long run.

Chris, thanks so very much for your thoughtful input here -- definitely helpful and makes sense too. Hard pill to swallow for me, but it is what it is - can't change the past ha. Dumb mistakes. Anyway, good idea on similar model purchase or used w/ slight damage, I'll check into that as well. Thank you again for your reply on my guitar. -Paul

Opsimath · May 16, 2023

Athens-Nash Guild 33 said:
Many thanks for the kind and supportive words, Rad. I do appreciate it and hope I can do that down the road.. Definitely still a shock. Thank you again and yes, I am eyeing some new guitars and getting some final opinions on repair vs. art/commemorate route. Thank you again. -Paul

I found you on Spotify, I think it was, with pics of you and your Guild before the accident. I listened to your songs and enjoyed them. Were you playing your Guild?

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

Stagefright said:
I think I would have to come up with a more interesting story than backing over the guitar. Something involving booze, the perfect love song, and jealousy sounds much better to me. Just sayin...

Haa, thanks for that comment -- i hear you... yes I need to work on this story as more time passes. Thank you for lightening up my situation! -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

walrus said:
First, welcome to LTG! Second, I concur with everyone else, that is too far gone, buy a new guitar.

walrus

hi Walrus, i appreciate your input. thank you. -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

West R Lee said:
I'm sorry about your guitar Paul and know nothing can really make you feel any better about the damage. I'm with the folks above.......a real repair would cost more than the guitar is worth. I'd just be thankful it wasn't your prized Martin or something. A comparable Guild should be relatively easy to find. Either Reverb, or there have probably been thousands of Guilds purchased on Ebay since I've been a member here. This damaged guitar isn't overly valuable or rare, so I'd find a replacement. Good luck, and again, I'm sorry Paul.

West

hi West, thank you for that input. I appreciate it -- good to hear candid feedback on my Guild / model, as I don't know a ton about guitars, and it's helpful to get insight for folks who know more. Past week has been crazy for me, so i haven't had time to even check the forum, but I am very grateful for all the feedback. I probably won't get to rest of replies till tomorrow. I need to also check eBay too - i poked around Reverb a bit. Thank you again. -Paul

West R Lee · May 16, 2023

Athens-Nash Guild 33 said:
hi West, thank you for that input. I appreciate it -- good to hear candid feedback on my Guild / model, as I don't know a ton about guitars, and it's helpful to get insight for folks who know more. Past week has been crazy for me, so i haven't had time to even check the forum, but I am very grateful for all the feedback. I probably won't get to rest of replies till tomorrow. I need to also check eBay too - i poked around Reverb a bit. Thank you again. -Paul

Good luck with your quest Paul, you'll find one for sure. And another thing.......all you have to do is ask these folks for help locating one, and it's a done deal. This site really helps folks find guitars..........sometimes to a fault.

West

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

GGJaguar said:
Welcome to LTG! Sorry to see your guitar in that state. I'll bet you can find another GAD 30-PCE for much less than the repairs would cost. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thanks so much, man -- onward and on the hunt to next step. Thanks again.

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

HeyMikey said:
Welcome Paul. What an unfortunate and terrible accident. I concur with the others and would not repair the guitar. You can likely replace it for far less than the cost of repairing. Even if you repair it you’ll have a very hard time when it comes time to sell.

I hope you end up with another Guild and come back to hang out here some more with us under happier circumstances.

Thanks for you post Mikey, I appreciate it. Sorry for my delayed responses to these - was out of town last week and things have been nuts. I will continue reading the responses and replying tomorrow and Thursday. I really appreciate this forum and everyone's time and input... many thanks to you and all. -Paul

Athens-Nash Guild 33 · May 16, 2023

Cougar said:
Well, it's a Guild guitar made in China. The GAD models are generally thought to be the better sounding Chinese-made Guilds, but still, you ought to be able to get the same model used in excellent shape for $500-600. (Here's one for $550, $75 shipping, passive pickup, so you might need a pre-amp* to make it sound good plugged in.) Trying to fix that one would cost a lot more than that! And there are plenty of Chinese-made alternatives around the same price point, as mentioned above. It sounds like you are ready to upgrade to a US-made Guild though -- I think you would notice a very pleasant difference. Best of luck and welcome to the boards!
_______________________
* I just bought a $39 pre-amp that works just fine.

Many thanks for that input... I was just noticing the Chinese vs American made comment above too. I haven't had a chance to dive into the differences, but I appreciate the candor as I know I didn't have the most amazing guitar in the world - just my one and only haa. But, i definitely want candid feedback and whatnot, so thanks for noting that. Much appreciated. -Paul

Prince of Darkness · May 17, 2023

Athens-Nash Guild 33 said:
Thanks so much for your reply and the idea for the OM240E... i need to check into it. Yeah I spoke w/ a few luthiers and sounds pricey to fully repair. Might got the route to just get it looking OK and retire it on my wall. Thanks for the link here too, will check on their repair thoughts as well. Thank you again.

Just a little note about the Westerly Collection ( Chinese) models, which may help your selection if you choose to buy one. The first number indicates whether the guitar is all solid wood, or laminate back and sides (all models are solid top). 1 indicates all solid and 2 is for laminate. That is not the whole story though! With the exception of a couple of models (P-240 Memoir and DS-240 Memoir), all the 200 series guitars feature an arched back, without bracing. This has been a feature on many Guild flat top guitars for as long as they have been making them. It's easy to tell them apart visually, as all 100 series guitars have a "Chesterfield" logo, whereas the 200 series just have the Guild name. I believe that all GAD models were all solid wood.

Help w/ badly Damaged Guild acoustic

Venerated Member

Reverential Member

Reverential Morlock

Senior Member

Reverential Member

Super Moderator

Junior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Senior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Venerated Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Junior Member

Senior Member